


The Way Forward

by ThatDamnKennedyKid



Series: Two Jedi Walk Into A Mandalorian [15]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003) - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Adopted Children, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Father-Son Relationship, Female Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mandalorian Culture, Mandalorian Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mother-Son Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:21:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25837966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatDamnKennedyKid/pseuds/ThatDamnKennedyKid
Summary: "Just not where you can see it."Those words have haunted Satine's mind since Coruscant, and Obi-Wan's dark voice is primarily the reason she invited Senator Amidala to Mandalore instead of returning herself. To no avail, it seems, as Amidala's escort is none other than her former lover, along with her new son and the Captain of the 501st Legion.
Relationships: Boba Fett & CT-7567 | Rex, Boba Fett & Obi-Wan Kenobi, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Satine Kryze, Obi-Wan Kenobi/CT-7567 | Rex
Series: Two Jedi Walk Into A Mandalorian [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1553227
Comments: 53
Kudos: 324





	The Way Forward

_"Just not where you can see it."_

| | | 

Boba didn't take her hand when they got off the ship, following the Nabanese Senator, but he very much wanted to. He suspected Rex may feel the same way, out of place in his battle-worn white armour and bucket. He had no formal attire, and his mission wasn't as an envoy either - Rex's attendance was at the behest of Anakin, who was likely also responsible for coercing Obi-Wan to go back to Mandalore in the first place. 

Mandalore was unlike anything he'd ever seen before, with the capital a bubbled-off dome surrounded by miles of sandy-looking wasteland.

"You were born here, right?"

"Not in the capital, no." She replied. "I was born on the other side of the planet. It has all the green fields and forests you're thinking of. This side of the planet was strip-mined for beskar and took the biggest beating in the civil war."

In front of them, the two politicians embraced.

"Your Grace." Senator Amidala greeted with a smile, embracing a woman in a deep sea green dress, blonde and blue-eyed. "I was flattered to receive your invitation. I must say, your trust and faith in me is humbling, and I assure you that I won't let you down."

"And you as well, my dear friend." The woman greeted. "But let us save the talk of politics until we're in private."

"Of course. I understand. Life on many planets has been made difficult by trade blockades . . ."

The blonde woman's eyes drifted from the Senator and landed on them. "Oh."

The Senator turned and glanced at them, smiling gently. "I'm sorry if it's an inconvenience, but it was highly recommended that I take an escort."

"An armed escort?" The blonde raised an eyebrow. 

"With all due respect, your Grace, it's not a safe place in the galaxy, let alone for a Galactic Senator." Amidala parried smoothly. "Commander Fox of the Coruscanti Guard is a close friend and responsible for my safety while planetside. I take his suggestions and encouragement very seriously."

"I should like to know the names of my new guests, at the very least."

Amidala inclined her head. "Of course. Obi-Wan Kenobi, Senior Commander of the 501st Legion."

"Duchess." Obi-Wan's voice was cold and distant, polite to the point of disingenuous. The Duchess nodded in return, also closed. 

"Rex, Captain of the 501st Legion." Amidala indicated him and he inclined his head too. 

"Ma'am." 

"And this is Boba Fett, Commander Kenobi's newly adopted son, an honorary member of the 501st who serves as part of Torrent Company, the personal company of the Jedi General in charge of their Legion."

"Boba Fett?" The Duchess looked down at him, and he felt like he was pinned to a dissection table. "I'm familiar with you."

"You're familiar with all of us, Duchess." Obi-Wan broke in, still bitingly polite. "Rex was one of the leading forces aboard the _Coronet_ that secured the ship and stopped Senator Marick's assassination attempt."

The Duchess's eyes blew wide and her attention snapped over to the clone. 

"Ma'am." He acknowledged again. 

The Duchess' eyes raked over him and a light of understanding came to her eyes, crossed immediately by shattering heartbreak. "I see. He is the one who is your Captain."

Amidala frowned slightly, but Obi-Wan's silence answered for her. Rex seemed to have come inkling as to what was happening too, because his helmet tilted away in shyness. 

"I'm glad to make your acquaintance, and I am pleased to see you again after your valiant work aboard the _Coronet_ , Captain." She turned hastily back to Amidala. "To the palace, shall we?"

"Yes, of course." Amidala replied graciously. 

Amidala and the Duchess got in the front car, while the three assigned guards got in the second. It wasn't long before they were rushed out of the tunnel and into the light of day inside Mandalore's capital. 

The people were unexpected. It was a sea of identical faces, all of them pale, with blonde hair cropped in short, fashionable styles that would have been a mess underneath a helmet. Most of these identical people had bright blue eyes, all trapped in garish beige clothing. It felt surreal, like there was no way these people weren't also a result of Kaminoan bio-engineering. Maybe he was biased, but the clones seemed to have more life and personality to them than these droves of nearly indistinguishable worker bees. 

"I know." Obi-Wan said lowly, reaching over without looking down to rest her hand on his shoulder. "You're right to be unnerved."

"I guess I just-" He sighed, words failing him. 

"Expected them to look like you?" She finished softly. 

"I guess so." He ducked his head a little in shame. "I mean, _you_ don't, and I know you're a born Mando, but . . ."

"That's okay. These people aren't Mando'ade anyway." She squared her shoulders. "More than the homogeneity, you have to be prepared for the scorn."

The memory of the way the Duchess had glared down at him was hardly old, and it still made him shiver. He knew exactly what she was talking about. 

Rex was standing stiff as a board, even more unnerved than Boba. Maybe it was being here, without another brother anywhere to be found, but maybe it was also the silent realization the three of them had shared on the docks, something that had happened before Boba was even a part of their lives. Obi-Wan didn't offer him words of comfort, at least none that he could hear, but wrapped her index finger around his, a gentle show of solidarity. She would also be an odd-man-out, under even more scrutiny than they.

* * *

The cabinet meeting they were sitting in on was less than pleased to have them there. Obi-Wan had been firm in her command of the room, brooking only mild grumbling when she said, "Where the Senator goes, we follow."

Soon enough they were ignored, and the meeting began. It almost immediately devolved into bickering and blame, and Boba felt like if this is how his week with Senator Amidala was going to go, then it didn't matter how much he liked her, he was never going again. 

Obi-Wan and Rex remained decidedly silent during the debacle, only staring ahead through their impassive visors. 

"The Republic can offer you aid, if you'll allow us to try." Amidala tried. "I know many worlds that have the Trade Federation working against them-"

"The Republic?" One of the Councillors scoffed. "The same Republic that's at war and blockades these poor planets? That employs that Mando'ad whore that Mandalore tossed out?"

The Duchess went stiff, but notably didn't come to Obi-Wan's defense. Rex shifted to attention, opening his mouth and ready to rebut the charge, when Obi-Wan herself spoke up. 

"I'm employed directly by the Jedi, actually." She shot back, smooth and uninterested. "I'm part of the Jedi structure, not the GAR's. Take it up with Master Windu if you've an issue with my employment status. At the very least, I'm not in the habit of consorting with smugglers rather than reaching out for ready aid."

The Councillor reared back, affronted, but the Duchess stood. "Enough! We will reconvene when cooler heads will prevail."

They grumbled, but the Councillors all stood and took their leave. 

The Duchess turned to Obi-Wan, looking as though she was ready to apologize for the insult, but the Mando waved her off and pushed off the wall, coming to stand behind Amidala. Rex, still tense with anger, forcibly relaxed and followed her, a hand on Boba's shoulder to guide him there too. 

Amidala sighed heavily. "It appears negotiations will be more difficult than previously anticipated. Perhaps we can also go refresh ourselves before dinner, Duchess?"

"Of course. It should be for five in the evening."

"Perfect. I'll be ready and waiting."

* * *

Dinner that evening had been easy, and only Boba had gone, escorting Amidala down to the hall, standing in the back with the other guards, then walking her back to her rooms. He was the one who relayed the plans to go to the hospital the next day. 

"What's happened?" Satine demanded as soon as they arrived, stretchers full of children being lifted into the hospital. 

"Duchess-" The facilitator stumbled over himself, surprised at her arrival. 

"What's going on here?"

"We're not entirely certain." He admitted. "The children appear to have been poisoned."

"Have any died?"

"Not so far, but more come in by the hour."

From behind the safety of his bucket, Rex felt a little bad for the Duchess. She was evidently a compassionate leader, genuinely concerned about the welfare of her citizens. But he also couldn't unhear what he'd heard yesterday, from the Councillors and the truths Obi-Wan had disclosed while Boba had attended dinner.

_"I was hired by her personal council as a body guard during the tail end of the war." She told him, not meeting his gaze. "I had an established career and reputation on Coruscant, which is where most of bounty hunters either cut their teeth or die trying. Mando'ade seem to have better luck, and I was among them. Young and willing to fight, so to Mandalore I went. I was her guard for a year, and over that year we got close. My contract ended, but when they went to rehire me, I refused. I became Satine's lover, and I wanted no money to compromise that."_

_"And she accepted you?"_

_"She told me she abhored violence, and requested that I put down my weapons and my armour. So, because I loved her, I did so."_

_That would explain why she was so vehement about keeping it on now._

_"I lived at her side and loved her for the next two years. In the last six months of that relationship, I weathered a constant barrage of attempts to get Satine to accept Pre Vizsla's marriage proposal. I kept silent, secure in my affection for her. I knew what he was, and what he was planning, and I even held my tongue when she went for romantic dinners with him. I thought she loved me enough to stay true to me._

_"She asked me one day if she should accept. It would be good politically - Vizsla is a well-respected name among the traditionalists, and would have demonstrated her willingness to peaceful cohabitation, even though she'd already exiled the rest of the true Mandalorians to Concordia or Concord Dawn._

_"I was, obviously, firmly against the idea. I wasn't going to be a mistress, not to anybody. As much as I had tried to oblige her ideals, I was not willing to compromise on that - the Way was clear in that; fidelity to the end, no matter how many partners or the circumstances surrounding the marriage. If she was married, and not to me, then we were nothing. I wouldn't have it._ _She accused me of disloyalty to her, of continuing my former way of life behind her back and taking contracts as a bounty hunter while on Mandalorian soil. I was appalled and aghast, wounded that someone I loved so much would turn on me so quickly._

_"I told her I would have nothing to do with Vizsla. I told her I knew he was a member of the newly-formed Death Watch, if not it's leader, and didn't hold her political beliefs in truth. I warned her, long before the war and any of this came to a head, that he was a danger, and any feelings he may have demonstrated were false."_

_He settled closer to her, taking her hand. "What did she do then?"_

_"She banished me from Mandalore for ten years." She replied, squeezing his fingers. "And told me I was a traitor, and that should I return, she'd have me thrown in prison and ex-communicated to a mining asteroid._

_"She hadn't made the decision publicly, and I'm not even sure she could do it. I was born on Mandalore, not just a Mando'ad, and as such a citizen of the world proper. But it was the sentiment of the statement. I had to leave, on principle, and make it a point not to return. If she wanted me gone, go I would, and in my absence she would regret her mistakes. Even now, every time I have stepped foot on Mandalorian soil, it has been for the betterment of my current employer, not myself."_

_"You answered her call on Coruscant."_

_She sighed. "As much as I may now resent her, there's a part of me that wonders . . . that pines for that lost time. I lived well at her side, and I enjoyed my time there."_

_He knew he was no Duchess of Mandalore. "And now?"_

_Her head snapped up and she took his face in her hands. "Never think I regret my choices, Rex. I don't. I think wistfully about my time on Mandalore, but quite frankly, the end result was inevitable. I never would have been able to stay, and she didn't love me truly. The clones are my brothers, and you are my_ cyar'ika. _This life, this love and this family is something Satine was never able to give me, something she would never have been capable of. I_ love _you, Rex. Nothing about that is going to change."_

_He cast his eyes down, a little ashamed of doubting her. He shouldn't take for granted that someone as strong as her was vulnerable around him. "I'm sorry."_

_"Don't be. I can only imagine how I sound discussing her - and you've never had the freedom to live that way. You must think on some level that I long for it again, but I don't. I am Mando'ad, and there's nothing about that which can change. I don't think if I spent all the lifetimes of my kin travelling the galaxy that I could find someone better suited to me than you."_

_He met her eyes again, catching the tears welling in her eyes. In this moment, if he refused her, he'd shatter her like no one else ever had. He could feel the tension crawling along his skin, and he at once adored that she loved him so much and hated that anyone could have the power to bring her to her knees. "I love you, Obi-Wan."_

_She broke out into a watery grin, pulling him into a sweet kiss. "No matter what happens while we're here, it's you I'll be returning with, your bunk I fall into, your mouth I'll kiss, your colours I fly, your armour I'd wear."_

_He kissed her himself, fingers tangling in her hair. "I'll keep your heart safe."_

"The schools, then." Amidala said. 

"Yes. Doctor, if you will, I'd like you to come with us."

"Of course, Duchess."

The school wasn't that far, but Rex used that time to observe Satine and Obi-Wan. Satine hadn't acknowledged Obi-Wan since the day before, and behind her helmet's visor, Obi-Wan was entirely impassive. Boba stood between them, taking in as much of Mandalore as he could from the speeder, his interest in his mother's drama overridden by childish wonderment. It was nice to see, ane motion so wholly untainted and pure, considering the weight of the knowledge Rex now had. Knowledge neither of them had shared with Boba. 

They entered the school, walking into the cafeteria, greeted at the door by the superintendent. 

"What about the food?"

"It's all locally grown and prepared, your Grace." The superintendent replied. 

"And the glasses?" Amidala asked. 

"Water or locally sourced milk, Senator."

"What about the bottled tea?" Satine gestured to the vending machine. 

"That's allowed through an outside vendor."

The doctor stopped a boy walking passed, taking the bottled tea from his tray. "My apologies, but I need this."

The child looked at him funny, but then his eyes caught the three of them standing behind Amidala and he shied away. Rex didn't take it personally, and Obi-Wan didn't seem to care, but Boba scowled. Rex felt bad for him, because as much as Boba had been raised Mando'ad by Jango, there was no replacement for practical experience, and he'd never been in a place that would look at you funny for being armed, or a soldier. He had no way of knowing the fear directed at him was by no means personal, just a byproduct of a society that had no interest in understanding them. Boba's life was harder and meaner than any of these children would hopefully ever experience, but that disconnect obviously hurt the boy. 

He clicked on his helmet's comm, set on the 501st's frequency. "Obi-Wan."

"Yes, _cyar'ika_?" She replied. 

"I'm going to take Boba outside for a moment. Guard the entrance."

Her helmet tilted down a fraction, and he knew she was assessing her son. "Go. I'll cover Amidala. Keep the comm open, though."

"Will do." He switched back to external speakers. "Boba, with me."

The boy jolted, then nodded, and followed him back out of the building. On the front steps, Rex lowered himself down, pulling off his bucket. Confused, Boba sat down next to him, wide brown eyes matching his own staring at him. 

"It's not easy being here, is it, kid?"

Boba lowered his head, as though he had something to be ashamed of. Rex lifted his arm and Boba scuttled right up against him, pressing tightly to his side. "They _stare_."

"I know. It's not easy, and it's not pleasant, but most people just don't understand our way of life." He ran his fingers through Boba's curls. "It's not personal, even though it feels that way."

"How can they _not_ get it? Don't they get news out here? Are they all stupid?"

He suppressed a chuckle. "They don't live in the same world we do. We keep them from all the harm and fear we experience - they can't understand because they don't get the chance to see it."

"Then maybe we should let them." Boba hissed. 

"No." Rex shut down firmly. "That's not why we're here."

"I'm not a soldier of the Republic, Rex, I-"

"You're the son of a Mando, right? The son of a woman who's here to defend what she thinks is right, to do what she believes needs to be done? The son of a woman who grew up in civil war, who lost all her family before she was old enough to defend them? These people might be strangers, with no right to judge you, but if you start thinking like that, you condemn innocent, peaceful people to her fate, or worse."

He ducked in closer. "They have no right to judge us."

"No, they don't." Rex tilted his head up, pressing their foreheads together. "But we don't either. Everybody's lot in life is different, and there's nothing we can do to change that. And while there will be planets like this one, who look down on us and misunderstand us, there will also be places that will love us, people we've freed who will tell their grandkids stories about us. But for now, try to accept them for who they are, even though we're different."

" _Elek, buir_." He wrapped his arms around Rex's waist, holding on tightly despite the lack of give in the armour plating. 

Rex hugged him back. 

They stood when the door opened, Satine walking out with the doctor, superintendent, Amidala and Obi-Wan in tow. Satine's steps hiccuped when she spotted Rex's bare face, but she covered it quickly. Rex pulled his helmet back on and laid his hand on Boba's shoulder, guiding him to walk between him and Obi-Wan once more. 

"Good talk?" Obi-Wan asked over comms.

"Yeah. He's just smarting a little."

She nodded. "Thank you."

"Not a problem. He's part of the 501st too, right? A little brother." He paused. "What does _buir_ mean?"

"Parent. Why do you ask?"

"I just- Boba calls you that all the time, but he's called me that a couple of times now too. He called me that during our talk."

Obi-Wan almost missed a stair. "He did? He has?"

" . . . Is that a bad thing?"

"No, no. Not at all." 

"It means something, doesn't it?"

Her voice was strangely soft, gentle and sweet in a way he didn't often hear outside of his bunk. "Yes, it does. I- I'll discuss this with you later, when I can see your face."

"Alright."

* * *

They wind up following Amidala back to the hospital where the tea registers that there's a diluting agent at toxic levels mixed inside. Obi-Wan stops them from giving chase when the superintendent reveals himself to be complicit, though unaware that the tea was poison. They follow her back to the Palace, where Satine calls the dock manager to her and interrogates, then _threatens_ him. When the man gets indignant with her, Rex sympathizes - he couldn't imagine a commanding officer he trusts making very real threats on so little evidence. Thankfully, Amidala intervenes and suggests they scope out the docks with the manager in tow. They watch the credits change hands, and at Satine's command, they withdraw to regroup. Rex and Boba don't understand why she doesn't just use them to stop the illegal deal, but then, perhaps Obi-Wan would refuse the order. She's their commanding officer on this mission (and always - her rank is on par with a Jedi Padawan) and she made her stance clear on their way here; they were Amidala's guards only, completely distinct from any Mandalorian forces and immune from discipline for ignoring Duchess Kryze's orders. 

With the Duchess' personal guard, they return to the dockyard and enter the warehouse that the tea is supposed to be kept in, finding two guards standing outside. 

"Did you order them here?" Satine snapped. 

"Duchess, I've been with you _the whole time_." The dock manager snapped back, clearly irritated. Rex would be too - if Satine truly can't trust anybody who works under her, then she should just replace them with people she can trust instead of alienating them. Luckily, no (Jedi) General or Commander he's ever worked under has ever questioned his competence or loyalty, even after debacles like the one with Slick on Christophsis. 

They march up to the guards and the manager speaks first. "Men, let us in."

"We're under strict orders not to let anyone in." One of the guards replied. 

"Do you know who this is?' The dock manager asked incredulously. 

"I command you, open these doors." Satine ordered, voice in the most aloof, imperial tone she can manage. 

The two guards look at each other, then one goes to strike Satine. The manager caught the blow, and swiftly knocked one guard out, then the other. 

"Some security they are." Boba huffed under his breath and Rex can't help but agree. Shoddy training, if they even had any. No wonder nonsense like this was allowed to go down - no discipline anywhere in the immediate chain of command. 

"Arrest them." The manager ordered the royal guard, then opened the door. Inside, as expected, were crates of the tea, two massive distillation canisters, some Mandalorian civilian scientists and the smugglers from the dock payoff. "Hold it right there!"

The smugglers don't bother to argue, they just open fire. Obi-Wan grabbed the back of Amidala's vest and pulled her behind the wall, shielding the Senator with her own body. Boba was pressed up behind the Senator, and Rex pulled out his guns, keeping the two of them between his chestplate and the durasteel warehouse wall. 

"Commander?" Rex asked. 

"Hold position." Obi-Wan bit out. "This isn't our fight."

"Obi-Wan-" Amidala started to plead. 

"I have no intentions of drawing arms until your life is personally in danger. It's against the laws and moral regulation of this planet, Senator."

Amidala frowned, but fell silent. 

Two of the royal guard fell dead with blaster holes in their sternums, while the rest of the guard shuffled Satine out of the way, the dock manager on the other side of the doors. The manager withdrew a pistol and nodded to the guards at his side, who threw up their shields as cover and allowed the manager to return fire. 

Obi-Wan was closest to the door, beskar armour being a better protector than anyone else in the party was wearing, and as such had a better view of what happened inside the warehouse. The dock manager was a pretty good shot, but the rounds he were using were definitely lethal, and two of the henchmen to the smugglers fell dead to his shots before he, too, was taken out by a bolt to the shoulder. The two guards covering him managed to pull him out harm's way, his pistol laying in the middle of the doorway. Amidala eyed it, but the look she shared with Rex let her know that she wasn't going to get the chance to use it. 

Obi-Wan, on the other hand, reached up above her head and pulled out her beskade, the honed edge catching the evening light. "Keep Amidala here, Captain."

"Yessir." 

She walked out into the hail of blaster fire and Rex assumed her position, laying down cover fire where he could. 

Bolts whizzed around her, but she paid them no mind, flipping the beskade around to deflect body shots much the same way he'd seen Tano do, the two blades in her hands moving effortlessly. The scientists were ducked down behind the control console, but there were still the two smugglers and six of their underlings, three of which were in front of their bosses. 

Obi-Wan cut them down in a shower in neon pink blood, her steady stride not faltering as she deflected another blaster shot back at the underling who shot it, hitting him in the head. When she got to the boxes the smugglers were behind, she flipped up over them, landing behind the smugglers and spearing them through. Rex shot the last two, covering her back. 

There was a low rumble of approval from the royal guards at the display, rushing in to arrest the scientists who went without a fuss. Satine smiled in satisfaction, approaching Obi-Wan, who was wiping the guts off her beskade on the robes of the dead smugglers. 

Satine went to open her mouth, but Obi-Wan brushed passed her. Satine hesitated for a moment, but gathered her courage and spoke as Obi-Wan reached the door. 

"Thank you, Obi-Wan. You've done Mandalore a great service and I am in your debt for your aid."

Obi-Wan stopped at the doors, sliding the beskade back into their halter on her back. She turned slowly, and Rex didn't need the Force to know what she was feeling. 

"You want to _thank me_?" Obi-Wan hissed, her lilting Coruscanti accent slipping away the more the anger inside her slipped beyond her control. Her natural Mando - Concord Dawn Mando - accent came through, thick and strong and _furious_. "What the fuck for?"

"For-" Satine was very clearly taken aback. She must have thought she was extending an olive branch, trying to make up for the years and years of displacement between them. "For helping Mandalore's children."

"All those years ago, you preached at me about how non-violence was the _only_ way, that if it couldn't be done with words, then it simply couldn't be done." Obi-Wan used the tip of her boot to flip the dock manager's pistol into her hand. "You had the _gall_ to talk down about the clones who gave their lives for yours on the _Coronet_ merely because they're soldiers and they don't fit into your ideal worldview. You would stand there, filled to the brim with righteous indignation that I would _dare_ to wield a weapon and preach to me about the horrors of war and the intolerability of violence." She tossed the pistol at Satine, who fumbled the catch. "So what the fuck is that, then? A water gun?"

"I- Ports are where smugglers and illegal travellers enter-"

"Oh, so they can be killed because they're not _Mandalorian_ , can they?" Obi-Wan thundered, any and all traces of her Coruscanti accent vanished. "What about _my_ people, Satine? What about _them_ , the _true_ Mandalorian people? You threw them out, banished them from their homeworld and forbid their return. What _grace and clemency you have_ , your Majesty. I should be so humbled to stand at the feet of such towering _hypocrisy_."

"No, I-"

Obi-Wan took a menacing couple of steps forward, looming over the slender and fragile form of the Duchess. "You've _always_ been a hypocrite, Satine. What's always the first thing you've done when things don't go your way, hmm? When I was here, you'd send me to _assassinate_ the problem."

"No! I would never-"

"Not explicit orders, perhaps, but what did you think I was doing when I would return and one of your political rivals had vanished, or had mysteriously fallen silent? Why do you think your Council _hired_ me in the first place? For tea parties and royal balls? I'm a _bounty hunter_ and an _assassin_. I'm _Mando'ad_ , and every time you've had dirty work that needed doing, you'd come to _me_. Isn't that exactly what you did on Coruscant? _You_ were under threat, your _position and power_ were at stake, so you came to me to redress the balance. And didn't I? Didn't I kill in your name, for Queen and Country, your Grace? If you, and this world you've claimed as your own, were so truly dedicated to the preservation of peace and pacificism, it would be _your_ body on the floor of the _Coronet_ , not good clones, _my brothers_ , who died in your place. Everything you stand on and everything you pretend to be are made up of naught but lies and deceit. 

" _Gar jahaatir, chakur, gotal'ur adate jare'la. Ni kal- gar harr kyramud! Aruetii, naast, osi'yaim, chakaaryc-_ " She took a sharp breath through her teeth, "- _ori'dush **dar'manda**_."

The dockyard fell silent. Obi-Wan turned away from Satine, posture soldier-rigid and _proud_. 

"Don't you _ever_ deign to speak down to me again, Satine. I swear on every grave I've dug and the Ka'ra above, it will be the very last thing you do." She turned to face her family and her charge, her voice slipping back into her fake accent, whitewashing over the resentment and fury still hanging heavy in the air. "Senator, I think it's time we return to the Palace."

| | |

Amidala watched Obi-Wan much more closely on the ride back to the Palace, but Obi-Wan gave nothing away. Rex wished he knew what she was saying, since Boba seemed more than a little stunned. Once they were at the Palace, however, Amidala pulled her aside. She gestured for Rex and Boba to go ahead without her. 

"You have a history with the Duchess, I'm assuming."

"I do." Obi-Wan replied. "And with all due respect, Senator, all of that business is my own."

"I understand, and I won't press, but if you don't mind, I would like to know why you accepted this mission, knowing full well it would put you in harm's way here."

"I came because your husband asked me to."

Amidala sputtered. "I don't-"

"You may be a politican, Senator, but neither you nor Anakin are particularly good liars." Amidala's expression was the same one that Boba had when she caught him stealing desserts from the Jedi Temple. "Rest assured, your secret is safe with me. Anakin is a brother of mine, and I won't let him come to harm."

"I- Thank you." Amidala took a breath, then took her hands. "And for what it's worth, I'm sorry it turned out this way."

"As am I." 

Amidala smiled sadly. "I think I'll retire."

"Good evening, then, Senator. I'll have the ship manned and ready to leave at 0900 hours tomorrow."

"Thank you."

Obi-Wan left her behind, walking back to her own shared apartments. 

Inside, she found Rex, dressed down and waiting on the couch for her. Boba was laying on his lap, eyes flickering up to meet hers when she walked in. 

"I apologize for that display at the warehouse." She said, pulling off her helmet. 

"It's okay." Boba said immediately. "I just- didn't know you felt that way about her."

She sighed. "Seeing the blaster changed things. Even clones have stun rounds - why her people don't use those is beyond me, and the weight of the hypocrisy- I just couldn't take it. Still, I never intended for you to see me like that."

"I really need you to start teaching me Mando'a." Rex replied. 

"I should." She agreed. "But the fact remains - I apologize."

Boba shook his head. "No need, _buir_. We understand."

She collapsed on the couch next to them, dropping her bucket on the table, and laying her head on Rex's shoulder. "Oh, there was something I did want to discuss. Boba?"

"Yeah?"

"You call Rex _buir_?"

Boba froze. "Am I . . . not supposed to?"

"I hadn't realized you were that comfortable. 

"You share armour with him. I thought it was okay."

"It is okay." Obi-Wan took his hand in hers. "I was waiting for you to be comfortable before I asked."

"Oh, for _riduurok_?"

"Yes."

"Don't wait on my account, then."

"Thank you. I won't misplace your trust."

"You won't, I trust you."

* * *

Back aboard the _Endurance_ , a few days after returning from Mandalore, Rex finally managed to get her alone. 

"You never did tell me." He said, taking a seat on her bed.

"Tell you?" She cocked her head, polishing her beskade. 

"About why Boba calling me _buir_ is important."

She stilled, putting down the cloth and the blade. "Ah, yes. I suppose it is time to have that conversation." 

She came and sat beside him, folding one leg under him so they were facing each other. 

"For Mando'ade, family is the most important thing." She began, slow and hesitant. "We live short, hard lives, and that closeness matters more than anything to us. Love, no matter its form. Boba calling you his father rather than his brother means that not only has he accepted you as a father, but that he sees you as the counterpart to me as his mother, since we're . . . attached. A child can have many parents, and small clans tend to have all adults considered the parents of all the children."

"Obi-Wan, what are you saying?"

She winced. "If you were a Mando, I would have asked you to marry me."

He pulled away. "Is it because I'm not that you don't want to?"

"No, Ka'ra above, I _do_ , Rex. I want to marry you. But I know that most other cultures don't move so quickly, and I know that these kinds of commitments and institutions don't come with being a clone."

"I understand marriage, Obi. I've only been working with Skywalker since my deployment."

She hissed, shaking her head. "I'm not explaining this very well."

"Gather your thoughts and try again, then."

She took a deep breath. "I know that the clones don't have many options. I know you're not given many choices. I know I haven't told you what it means to be married in the Way. I never want to be a reason any choices you could have would be stifled. You live a life of duty, and I'm unwilling to drag you into more of it, especially if you don't understand what it entails. But please, believe me when I say I would marry you in a heartbeat. I love you, my son loves you, and I want you at my side, to remain at yours, for as long as we can."

He brought their foreheads together. "Then explain it to me, Obi. Tell me, and I'll give you my answer."

| | | 

Boba, Kano and Cody were in the room when they made their vows to each other. All three of them watched the two of them then square off, stripped of everything but their armour, sparring to submission. It was to no one's surprise when Obi-Wan won, though it was closer than they'd guessed it would be. With Rex pinned to the ground, she gently leaned forward and rested the jaig eyes of her helmet against his. She pulled him up to his feet, bumping their foreheads together once more, before unclasping her right pauldron. Rex did the same, unlatching the plastoid the rest of the set. 

" _Gar'ni._ " She said, fastening the beskar to the plastoid, looping the leather in where the buckles would normally sit. 

" _Gar'ni_." He returned, using her own halter to fasten the buckle to the leather under-armour. 

She removed her helmet and he did the same. They touched foreheads once more, then she opened her eyes. "I have a gift, for you."

"So do I." He murmured, smiling when she blinked in surprise. He pulled back and Boba handed him the black cloth. "I know I don't have a lot, _riduur_ , but I would be honoured if you'd take it."

Obi-Wan almost looked stricken to take something from him, but she took the black bundle anyway, letting it unravel in her hands to reveal command blacks. In grey stitching, not much lighter than the blacks themselves, was Rex's number at the top of the collar. It would be visible under her helmet, if one knew where to look. She pressed it to her mouth, fighting back tears. "Oh, _thank you_."

"I know it's not much." He said again, rubbing the back of his neck. 

"It's wonderful." She kissed the stitching, gently stroking over the number with watery eyes. "Thank you."

" _Buir."_ Boba prompted, holding out one of her leather satchels. 

"Oh, yes, you're right." She quickly dried her eyes, gently folding and laying down the blacks. She took the satchel and held it out to him. 

"It's heavy." He murmured in surprise. 

"Open it." 

He untied the leather, pulling back the flap to reveal glimmering metal. He frowned, setting the bag down on the table and pulling out the contents. Inside were two bars of shining metal, fresh blue paint, a high quality paint brush set, a thousand credits and a complete outfit in steely navy and leather, including boots, gloves and a jacket. 

Kano whistled. "I should have married you."

"It's a good thing we didn't allow Fives and Hardcase." Cody murmured. 

"I- I can't accept this." He breathed. "This is way too much."

"Yes, you can." She said. "You don't have worldly possessions, so I'll give you some. You're my _husband_ now, Rex. What I have is yours."

"This is too much." He held up one of the ingots. "What is this, even? Durasteel?"

"It's beskar." 

That made all the clones pause. 

"You can use it however you like. I can help you mould it to your armour, but if you'd prefer to have a piece made with it instead, I'm still in contact with the Fetts' armourer on Concord Dawn. She's already going to be making Boba's armour soon, yours would be no issue for her."

"You're serious." He was aghast. 

"Of course. The credits are for you to do with as you please - I know you don't get paid. The outfit is for if you choose to wander around without your armour. I think the paint and the brushes are self-evident."

"You don't need to do this."

"And you didn't need to give me one of the few things you can actually call your own." She pointed out. "Let me, Rex. Please."

His breath stuttered in his chest, and Cody was sure he was going to cry. 

"Thank you." Was all the Captain could muster, wrapping her up in a tight hug that made her laugh and pet the back of his head. 

"I love you, _riduur_."

"I love you too." 

**Author's Note:**

> Gar jahaatir, chakur, gotal'ur adate jare'la. Ni kal - gar haar kyramud! Aruetii, naast, osi'yaim, chakaaryc- ori'dush dar'manda. - You lie, cheat and make people oblivious to danger. I'm the blade - you're the killer! Traitor, destroyer, despicable, rotten- evil no-longer-Mandalorian (the state of no longer being Mandalorian, having lost the Way, dreaded by traditional Mando'ade).
> 
> Gar'ni - I'm yours.


End file.
